I had a good weekend. I did take some time to relax. I did some reading, went out for lunch with my hubby, visited Oma, stuff like that. I’m re-reading Lord of the Rings since I haven’t read them since before the movies came out. We re-watched the movies over the last few weekends, so that made me want to read the books again.
Saturday evening, we participated in Earth hour. We turned off all the lights and unplugged everything we could (we left our fridge on, of course) and we lit some candles and enjoyed some quiet time. It was fun!
Yesterday afternoon, we went to my cousin’s hockey game. It was for the Midget A Ontario championships, game 4 of a best of 5 series (my cousin’s team was winning the series 2-1). And they won yesterday! Which means they are the Ontario Champions in their Midget A league! It was a very exciting game! Probably the last game of his amateur hockey career since he’s starting university in September.
Last night was Wrestlemania. We had a couple friends over, as well as my dad and his buddy. The local movie theatre wanted $35 a ticket to go see it there, so it was definitely cheaper for the 6 of us to order it at home, even at the hefty price of $65. Everyone chipped in for the cost, which was nice. It was a pretty good show, although I was pretty sleepy by the end. Since I’m used to going to bed between 9:30 and 10pm, staying up until 11 was quite difficult! Especially since I didn’t sleep in much this weekend, I was awake at 7:30am both mornings.
So here we are at another work week. Boo. At least April is around the corner because I have a few days off scheduled in the next few weeks – yay! I haven’t taken any time off yet this year!
Baby Age Ticker
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
I did it.. phew.
As I’ve said before, we have a pile of reports due March 31st. I was working on 2 that I just got back comments from the client yesterday. One of these reports is massive, think 40 pages of text, 150 pages of tables, 18 figures, and probably 300 pages of appendices. That’s the report that is the most work for me every year. Well, it’s done… and going out today. Along with the other report I was working on. Which is the last possible day they could go out and meet the deadline. Phew! I am so glad to have that done!
I am SOOOO looking forward to the weekend. After all the OT I’ve worked lately, I can’t wait to just relax. We don’t have any plans this weekend, which is really nice since we were so busy last weekend.
Don't forget Earth Hour tomorrow night between 8 and 9pm!!
My doctor's appointment went well. I can wean off the splint now and only wear it at night and during strenuous activity. I do that for 2 weeks. 2 weeks from now, I stop wearing the split altogether. I go back to see the doc on April 22nd, at which point I should be able to make a fist again. If not, I may need physiotherapy. So, it was quite positive. I'm keeping the splint on for the afternoon, but once I get home, it's coming off until nighttime!
I am SOOOO looking forward to the weekend. After all the OT I’ve worked lately, I can’t wait to just relax. We don’t have any plans this weekend, which is really nice since we were so busy last weekend.
Don't forget Earth Hour tomorrow night between 8 and 9pm!!
My doctor's appointment went well. I can wean off the splint now and only wear it at night and during strenuous activity. I do that for 2 weeks. 2 weeks from now, I stop wearing the split altogether. I go back to see the doc on April 22nd, at which point I should be able to make a fist again. If not, I may need physiotherapy. So, it was quite positive. I'm keeping the splint on for the afternoon, but once I get home, it's coming off until nighttime!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
WW success!
I just wanted to share my weigh-in results… I was down 1.5! So, in the last 9 weeks, I have lost a total of 7.5 pounds! My second 5-pound star is in sight! I think I’ve found that the weeks I seem to do the best, are the weeks when I have one or two days when I eat a lot of my flex points. So, for me, it’s better to spend my flex points on one or two meals rather than spread out evenly over the entire week.
Tonight I finally get to do laundry in our new machines… I can’t wait!
Tomorrow, I go back to the plastic surgeon about my finger. I hope he’ll tell me I don’t have to wear the splint anymore. We’ll see! It’s been 9 weeks now since I broke my finger… the tendons should be healed by now!
Tonight I finally get to do laundry in our new machines… I can’t wait!
Tomorrow, I go back to the plastic surgeon about my finger. I hope he’ll tell me I don’t have to wear the splint anymore. We’ll see! It’s been 9 weeks now since I broke my finger… the tendons should be healed by now!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Laundry fun
Last night, CT did a load of laundry in our new washer/dryer! We’re nerds, so we were down in the laundry room watching the action for awhile. We realized that although the washer and dryer have an “estimated time remaining” indicator, it is just that - estimated. The washer automatically senses how much clothes is in there and adjusts the water level accordingly. So, I think since it was a full load, it took a little longer than the estimated 54 minutes. The dryer, same thing. It has a moisture sensor, so it automatically senses when the clothes are dry and stops then (but sill tumbles intermittently without heat to prevent wrinkles). The estimated time was 35 minutes, but it took a little longer. All in all, we figured it took almost 2 hours to do a full load (wash and dry), which is less than half the time it took us previously. So, we are quite pleased! And I know we’ll see a difference on our electricity bill!
I’m going to do my first load of laundry tomorrow night (since I’m out at WW tonight). Speaking of WW, I have no idea how my weigh-in will go tonight. I already know that my scale at home is different from the one at WW. It’s hard to tell. I chose to go a little overboard for Easter, but I counted everything and only went a couple points over on my flex. So, I think I did well considering the 2 massive Easter feasts. I even gave my chocolate bunny to CT because it wasn’t worth the points to me. If I’m going to have chocolate, I want to have the good, expensive chocolate and not waste my points on the cheap chocolate bunny. So, I am proud of myself for my efforts this week regardless of how the weigh in goes. I have a feeling I will be around the same as last week, maybe even down a bit. I doubt I’ve gained. I will find out tonight!
In other news, CT and I have been married for exactly 200 days as of today! Yes, I keep track ;)
I’m going to do my first load of laundry tomorrow night (since I’m out at WW tonight). Speaking of WW, I have no idea how my weigh-in will go tonight. I already know that my scale at home is different from the one at WW. It’s hard to tell. I chose to go a little overboard for Easter, but I counted everything and only went a couple points over on my flex. So, I think I did well considering the 2 massive Easter feasts. I even gave my chocolate bunny to CT because it wasn’t worth the points to me. If I’m going to have chocolate, I want to have the good, expensive chocolate and not waste my points on the cheap chocolate bunny. So, I am proud of myself for my efforts this week regardless of how the weigh in goes. I have a feeling I will be around the same as last week, maybe even down a bit. I doubt I’ve gained. I will find out tonight!
In other news, CT and I have been married for exactly 200 days as of today! Yes, I keep track ;)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Money, money
CT took his car in because the muffler is hanging on by a thread. Cost to replace the muffler and rusty piping: $481! Wow! Cars are so expensive sometimes, aren’t they? I know nej can relate! There is a long list of things he wants to get fixed on his car, but he’s just going for the muffler repair for now. We’re going to try to spread the rest of the costs out over the next several months. His car is 10 years old now, so things are starting to need repairs. But I think the rest of the things can wait for a few months. We have to prioritize the repairs since if we got it all done at once, I’m sure it would be $1,500.
There comes a point when you have to start thinking about whether it’s worth it to put that much money into an older car. But, we talked about it and decided that we do want to keep his car for as long as possible. It’s a Toyota, so we all know those things are built to last. So, we’re going to try to get as much life out of it as possible, I think it could likely last us for another 3 or 4 years anyway. It’s got just over 200,000 km on it, so I think it’s got some life left.
On a completely unrelated note, I have noticed some changes since coming off the pill. First off, my face has completely broken out, so I can relate to your struggle lj! I was hoping I would have outgrown the acne phase, but no dice. I’m hoping it will clear up on its own soon. Not fun.
I have also noticed a change emotionally. Not that I would consider myself depressed before or anything, but I am just happier lately. I can’t really explain it, but so far I am loving being off the pill! Now, my happier nature lately could be due to the fact that I am almost done my stupid reports at work ;) It may not be related to the pill at all.
And, at the risk of being too personal, I have also noticed a change in my sex drive. Again, not that it was bad before, but it has definitely increased! I don’t know if my hubby knew what hit him, although I don’t think he’s complaining ;)
So, judging from my first 2 weeks off the pill, I have definitely noticed some changes. I guess it’s too early to tell if it’s just coincidence or related to the pill, but I thought I’d share it since nej posted some of her discoveries about going on the pill. I'm still worried about how my periods will be off the pill, but I guess I'll find out in a bit! I'm hoping I've outgrown the awful periods.
There comes a point when you have to start thinking about whether it’s worth it to put that much money into an older car. But, we talked about it and decided that we do want to keep his car for as long as possible. It’s a Toyota, so we all know those things are built to last. So, we’re going to try to get as much life out of it as possible, I think it could likely last us for another 3 or 4 years anyway. It’s got just over 200,000 km on it, so I think it’s got some life left.
On a completely unrelated note, I have noticed some changes since coming off the pill. First off, my face has completely broken out, so I can relate to your struggle lj! I was hoping I would have outgrown the acne phase, but no dice. I’m hoping it will clear up on its own soon. Not fun.
I have also noticed a change emotionally. Not that I would consider myself depressed before or anything, but I am just happier lately. I can’t really explain it, but so far I am loving being off the pill! Now, my happier nature lately could be due to the fact that I am almost done my stupid reports at work ;) It may not be related to the pill at all.
And, at the risk of being too personal, I have also noticed a change in my sex drive. Again, not that it was bad before, but it has definitely increased! I don’t know if my hubby knew what hit him, although I don’t think he’s complaining ;)
So, judging from my first 2 weeks off the pill, I have definitely noticed some changes. I guess it’s too early to tell if it’s just coincidence or related to the pill, but I thought I’d share it since nej posted some of her discoveries about going on the pill. I'm still worried about how my periods will be off the pill, but I guess I'll find out in a bit! I'm hoping I've outgrown the awful periods.
Monday, March 24, 2008
What an amazingly productive weekend!
I know this is a crazy-long post, so get a cup of coffee and settle in…
We certainly got a lot accomplished this weekend. On Thursday evening, we had a meeting with our mortgage specialist. We have been wanting to get our finances in order and we wanted to consolidate some of our debts (line of credit, credit cards, etc.) with our mortgage to decrease the amount of interest we pay. We’re planning for the future and when we have a baby, I’ll have a reduced income. Since we only owe $90,000 on our house, we definitely have some equity in it since I’m sure it’s worth at least $160,000 now, if not more with all the upgrades we’ve been doing. Long story short, we increased our mortgage amount to cover all our other debts, but we still had some equity in our house, so we also applied for the HomeLine plan, which is basically a line of credit at prime interest rate for the amount of 80% of the value of our house minus our current mortgage balance. So, in the beginning, we’ll only have a $7,000 line of credit, but as we pay off our mortgage, the line of credit amount will increase. Of course, you only pay for the amount that you actually use. So, if we don’t use any of the line of credit, we pay nothing. It’s just a safety net incase we ever need it. And the line of credit will always be at prime, which is an amazing rate to get a loan at. We’ll never need to get another loan from the bank or anything. We’re quite pleased! When we calculated the amount of interest we are currently paying on my line of credit and CT’s credit cards, it’s over $300 a month. Which is crazy! The increase to our mortgage increased our payments by $200 per month, so we’ll still be further ahead and we’ll have all credit card debt and my current line of credit balance paid off. It was a very successful meeting! We still have to wait to find out whether we’re approved for the HomeLine plan, but I don’t think it will be a problem.
Friday, we went to CT’s parents house for easter dinner. Since they are Catholic, they don’t eat meat on Good Friday, so we had a seafood feast instead. Which is fine by me! We had 3 different kinds of shrimp, salmon, crab legs, salad, etc. It was amazing!
Friday evening, we did our tax return and we are expecting a refund of approximately $1,500, which is amazing! That gave us a budget when we went washer/dryer shopping on Saturday.
Saturday morning, we bought tickets to go see WEE Monday night Raw at the ACC in May. We got floor seats, 11th row! So, we could be right in the action if the wrestlers come out into the crowd like they sometimes do. I’m so excited!
Saturday, we went to 8 different places looking at washer/dryers. Right from the beginning, every place we went recommended the same set as a good mid-range in terms of price with excellent quality (Whirlpool Duet Sport). So, we knew that’s the one we wanted. Some sets were well over $2,000, so those were definitely too much. Leons was having an amazing sale on the set we wanted, but we ended up getting it another place that CT does the ads for and has connections with. They matched Leons price and had free delivery and removal of our old appliances (we were only getting rid of our dryer, the washer we are keeping for my brother when he moves out since it still works fine). They delivered the set this morning and we can use it starting tomorrow (I guess it needs to ‘rest’ for 24 hours after it’s moved before you can use it). And with taxes and everything, it only ended up being $30 more than our tax refund, so we did well!
The washer is 3.4 cubic feet I think and the dryer is 6.7. Since the washer is front load, it uses A LOT less water and energy than topload, which I guess is why you don’t have to pay PST. The government’s little incentive to buy energy star. I love the set and I can’t wait to use them! Front load washers also spin the clothes faster (over 1,000 rpm), so the clothes come out already somewhat dry, which reduces the drying time. The dryer has a moisture sensor, so it will stop when the clothes are dry. It also has a feature that will tumble the clothes without heat every once in awhile for up to 90 minutes after the clothes are dry to prevent wrinkles if you’re not down there right away to unload. That has to be one of my favourite features. I’m always playing the game of trying to time it just right so I can take the clothes out right when they’re done so they don’t wrinkle. With this set, I don’t have to worry about that, I have an extra 90 minutes to get down there.
One thing I did notice with front loads is some people buy the pedestals to raise them up, but that would have been an extra $300! So, my dad is going to build us a little platform to put them on so they are at a better height for loading and unloading.
I am very pleased with our purchase since we really did our comparison shopping and I know Whirlpool is a great name. And we got an amazing deal.
Sunday, we had the easter dinner and easter egg hunt with my family. Loads of fun, as usual!
So, it was a really great weekend!
We certainly got a lot accomplished this weekend. On Thursday evening, we had a meeting with our mortgage specialist. We have been wanting to get our finances in order and we wanted to consolidate some of our debts (line of credit, credit cards, etc.) with our mortgage to decrease the amount of interest we pay. We’re planning for the future and when we have a baby, I’ll have a reduced income. Since we only owe $90,000 on our house, we definitely have some equity in it since I’m sure it’s worth at least $160,000 now, if not more with all the upgrades we’ve been doing. Long story short, we increased our mortgage amount to cover all our other debts, but we still had some equity in our house, so we also applied for the HomeLine plan, which is basically a line of credit at prime interest rate for the amount of 80% of the value of our house minus our current mortgage balance. So, in the beginning, we’ll only have a $7,000 line of credit, but as we pay off our mortgage, the line of credit amount will increase. Of course, you only pay for the amount that you actually use. So, if we don’t use any of the line of credit, we pay nothing. It’s just a safety net incase we ever need it. And the line of credit will always be at prime, which is an amazing rate to get a loan at. We’ll never need to get another loan from the bank or anything. We’re quite pleased! When we calculated the amount of interest we are currently paying on my line of credit and CT’s credit cards, it’s over $300 a month. Which is crazy! The increase to our mortgage increased our payments by $200 per month, so we’ll still be further ahead and we’ll have all credit card debt and my current line of credit balance paid off. It was a very successful meeting! We still have to wait to find out whether we’re approved for the HomeLine plan, but I don’t think it will be a problem.
Friday, we went to CT’s parents house for easter dinner. Since they are Catholic, they don’t eat meat on Good Friday, so we had a seafood feast instead. Which is fine by me! We had 3 different kinds of shrimp, salmon, crab legs, salad, etc. It was amazing!
Friday evening, we did our tax return and we are expecting a refund of approximately $1,500, which is amazing! That gave us a budget when we went washer/dryer shopping on Saturday.
Saturday morning, we bought tickets to go see WEE Monday night Raw at the ACC in May. We got floor seats, 11th row! So, we could be right in the action if the wrestlers come out into the crowd like they sometimes do. I’m so excited!
Saturday, we went to 8 different places looking at washer/dryers. Right from the beginning, every place we went recommended the same set as a good mid-range in terms of price with excellent quality (Whirlpool Duet Sport). So, we knew that’s the one we wanted. Some sets were well over $2,000, so those were definitely too much. Leons was having an amazing sale on the set we wanted, but we ended up getting it another place that CT does the ads for and has connections with. They matched Leons price and had free delivery and removal of our old appliances (we were only getting rid of our dryer, the washer we are keeping for my brother when he moves out since it still works fine). They delivered the set this morning and we can use it starting tomorrow (I guess it needs to ‘rest’ for 24 hours after it’s moved before you can use it). And with taxes and everything, it only ended up being $30 more than our tax refund, so we did well!
The washer is 3.4 cubic feet I think and the dryer is 6.7. Since the washer is front load, it uses A LOT less water and energy than topload, which I guess is why you don’t have to pay PST. The government’s little incentive to buy energy star. I love the set and I can’t wait to use them! Front load washers also spin the clothes faster (over 1,000 rpm), so the clothes come out already somewhat dry, which reduces the drying time. The dryer has a moisture sensor, so it will stop when the clothes are dry. It also has a feature that will tumble the clothes without heat every once in awhile for up to 90 minutes after the clothes are dry to prevent wrinkles if you’re not down there right away to unload. That has to be one of my favourite features. I’m always playing the game of trying to time it just right so I can take the clothes out right when they’re done so they don’t wrinkle. With this set, I don’t have to worry about that, I have an extra 90 minutes to get down there.
One thing I did notice with front loads is some people buy the pedestals to raise them up, but that would have been an extra $300! So, my dad is going to build us a little platform to put them on so they are at a better height for loading and unloading.
I am very pleased with our purchase since we really did our comparison shopping and I know Whirlpool is a great name. And we got an amazing deal.
Sunday, we had the easter dinner and easter egg hunt with my family. Loads of fun, as usual!
So, it was a really great weekend!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
At least it's fake friday!
Geepers. We get to the office this morning and the power is out. I guess it had been out since midnight. Luckily, it came back on about a half hour after I arrived here. So, I had time to clean off my desk a bit! And we were without running water until 5 minutes ago. I was afraid to drink any water this morning since I didn’t know how long the water would be out. I’m glad it’s back now!
The good news is that it’s Thursday before a long weekend! I have been working so many extra hours lately, that I’m at my 40 hours of banked time. That’s the most we can bank, then we get paid out on anything over that. So, I’m thinking I should take some time off! I’m thinking of taking a Friday in April off to go to the spa with my mom. We’re going to reward ourselves for being on WW for 12 weeks, so we’re going to get pedicures together as our reward. So, I’m thinking a day off work to go to the spa is well deserved. It will likely be the Friday of the weekend that CT and I are going on our little weekend getaway to a local B&B.
WW weigh-in was a success for both mom and I last night; we both were down. I lost 1 pound, so now I’m at a total loss of 6 pounds. Only another few more pounds until I’m back to the weight I was at the wedding. This week will be difficult with 2 Easter dinners, but I can deal with it. I’ll just make sure I exercise on those 2 days to get some extra points and I’ll save all my flex points for those 2 meals. It will be okay; I can do this!
I am so looking forward to the 3 days off work. Two days will be spent with family and the other day we’ll be doing our tax return and maybe going to look at washers/dryers. So, it will be a busy weekend, but I’m sure we’ll still find some time to relax.
Hope everyone has a great Easter! It’s one of my favorite holidays since it means so much.
The good news is that it’s Thursday before a long weekend! I have been working so many extra hours lately, that I’m at my 40 hours of banked time. That’s the most we can bank, then we get paid out on anything over that. So, I’m thinking I should take some time off! I’m thinking of taking a Friday in April off to go to the spa with my mom. We’re going to reward ourselves for being on WW for 12 weeks, so we’re going to get pedicures together as our reward. So, I’m thinking a day off work to go to the spa is well deserved. It will likely be the Friday of the weekend that CT and I are going on our little weekend getaway to a local B&B.
WW weigh-in was a success for both mom and I last night; we both were down. I lost 1 pound, so now I’m at a total loss of 6 pounds. Only another few more pounds until I’m back to the weight I was at the wedding. This week will be difficult with 2 Easter dinners, but I can deal with it. I’ll just make sure I exercise on those 2 days to get some extra points and I’ll save all my flex points for those 2 meals. It will be okay; I can do this!
I am so looking forward to the 3 days off work. Two days will be spent with family and the other day we’ll be doing our tax return and maybe going to look at washers/dryers. So, it will be a busy weekend, but I’m sure we’ll still find some time to relax.
Hope everyone has a great Easter! It’s one of my favorite holidays since it means so much.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Frustrations galore
I am trying like mad to get a report out today… it is an absolutely massive report that is the bain of my existence every year and I am trying to get the appendices printed off and…. Our printer runs out of toner! We usually keep this on hand, but I guess we have been doing A LOT of printing lately with all our reports. So, we likely won’t be able to get another toner until tomorrow morning. And this report was supposed to go out today. GAH! Oh well, at least I got one report out to the same client yesterday, so they can review that one while we are waiting on our printer. I have been working late several evenings in the last week trying to get this report done. How frustrating! I wanna have an office space moment and take a baseball bat to the photocopier sometimes… Who’s with me?
Monday, March 17, 2008
New member of the family
CT’s cousin and his girlfriend just had a baby yesterday. A little girl, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces. That’s all I know so far. Exciting! This is great-grandchild number 2 for CT’s grandparents, the only other being CT’s nephew, who is 10.
Oh, and I meant to mention this before, but my former co-worker Danica had her baby on February 25th; a little girl named Lily May. I mentioned this since lj knows her.
I had a great weekend. Evil Dead musical was awesome! Very funny and worth seeing. Yesterday, I didn’t really do much. The usual Sunday stuff like grocery shopping and laundry.
Speaking of laundry, CT and I have come to the conclusion that we need a new washer/dryer. The set we have we got for free from a friend. And when we got them, she warned me that the dryer was on its last legs. It never really worked too well. It works, just takes forever to dry a load. And the washer is in rough shape too. But, we were definitely glad to get them since they have been great to have and we’ve been using them for a year and a half now. And thinking into the future, when we have a baby, we’re going to need a better washer/dryer since our laundry needs are going to increase bigtime. We are thinking now would be a good time since when we do get pregnant, we will have a ton of other expenses to worry about. So it would be good to get this expense out of the way before that happens.
So, our biggest decision right now is whether to get electric or gas dryer. We have a gas furnace, so we could get a hookup for our dryer easy enough, we’re just not really sure if it’s worth the hassle at this point, especially since we are thinking we’ll only be in that house for another 5 years or less. I have heard that gas dryers are better on your clothes, and likely cheaper to operate, but they are more expensive to buy. And I think even if we were to get electric, we’d see a decrease in our utility bill since right now, it takes 3+ hours to try a load of laundry, which is terrible.
What type of dryer to you gals have? Any recommendations?
Oh, and I meant to mention this before, but my former co-worker Danica had her baby on February 25th; a little girl named Lily May. I mentioned this since lj knows her.
I had a great weekend. Evil Dead musical was awesome! Very funny and worth seeing. Yesterday, I didn’t really do much. The usual Sunday stuff like grocery shopping and laundry.
Speaking of laundry, CT and I have come to the conclusion that we need a new washer/dryer. The set we have we got for free from a friend. And when we got them, she warned me that the dryer was on its last legs. It never really worked too well. It works, just takes forever to dry a load. And the washer is in rough shape too. But, we were definitely glad to get them since they have been great to have and we’ve been using them for a year and a half now. And thinking into the future, when we have a baby, we’re going to need a better washer/dryer since our laundry needs are going to increase bigtime. We are thinking now would be a good time since when we do get pregnant, we will have a ton of other expenses to worry about. So it would be good to get this expense out of the way before that happens.
So, our biggest decision right now is whether to get electric or gas dryer. We have a gas furnace, so we could get a hookup for our dryer easy enough, we’re just not really sure if it’s worth the hassle at this point, especially since we are thinking we’ll only be in that house for another 5 years or less. I have heard that gas dryers are better on your clothes, and likely cheaper to operate, but they are more expensive to buy. And I think even if we were to get electric, we’d see a decrease in our utility bill since right now, it takes 3+ hours to try a load of laundry, which is terrible.
What type of dryer to you gals have? Any recommendations?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Awesome WW meeting
The WW meeting last night was the best meeting so far. First off, I lost the weight I had gained over the last 2 weeks, so I’m back to where I was 3 weeks ago, which is down 5 pounds. So, 7 weeks in, I have lost 5 pounds. Which I am really happy about. Of course, I would have liked it to come off more quickly, but I am happy with my progress. At the meeting last night, we talked about plateaus or slow scale progress. My mom brought up the point asking if everyone else is finding the progress is really slow. Because all we really hear about are the people who are successful. One girl there got her 4th 5 pound star and she’s only been there 5 weeks! She’s lost a total of 21 pounds so far. And here I am 7 weeks in struggling to lose 5 pounds. Doesn’t seem fair. So, it was encouraging to hear that other people are finding the weight loss really slow. We even stayed after the meeting to talk to 2 ladies who are experiencing the same thing as us: VERY slow weight loss. It was inspiring to hear. So, we walked out of that meeting feeling very inspired and encouraged to keep going.
I’m still upset about the whole PEO thing, but I have to just get over that. There’s nothing I can do to change it. At least you ladies can learn from my experience and know that when you go to apply for your P.Eng., expect that it will take at least 4 months before you hear anything! I wish I had known that going in, but oh well. I just hope they don’t come back with a bunch of additional information required. That would push back the timeline even more! At least the good news is, once I do finally get it, the weather will be nicer for CT to take me “anywhere in Ontario” for dinner to celebrate like he promised!
I’m still upset about the whole PEO thing, but I have to just get over that. There’s nothing I can do to change it. At least you ladies can learn from my experience and know that when you go to apply for your P.Eng., expect that it will take at least 4 months before you hear anything! I wish I had known that going in, but oh well. I just hope they don’t come back with a bunch of additional information required. That would push back the timeline even more! At least the good news is, once I do finally get it, the weather will be nicer for CT to take me “anywhere in Ontario” for dinner to celebrate like he promised!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sheesh...
I just got the following email from my admissions representative at the PEO:
"References responses have been received and your file will be forwarded for an experience assessment for consideration of licencing. You will be advised within the next 8-10 weeks if any further information is required or if you have been approved for licencing."
I didn't know it was going to take another 2 months! I thought I would hear in March for sure. I don't understand why they couldn't have been screening my experience summary at the same time as waiting for my references, but I guess they have a certain system that they use. Sheesh! So, at this rate, I won't hear back until May! Oh well, I guess another 2 months isn't a huge deal, I'm just getting impatient!
"References responses have been received and your file will be forwarded for an experience assessment for consideration of licencing. You will be advised within the next 8-10 weeks if any further information is required or if you have been approved for licencing."
I didn't know it was going to take another 2 months! I thought I would hear in March for sure. I don't understand why they couldn't have been screening my experience summary at the same time as waiting for my references, but I guess they have a certain system that they use. Sheesh! So, at this rate, I won't hear back until May! Oh well, I guess another 2 months isn't a huge deal, I'm just getting impatient!
More snow?
We got another 5cm last night and are supposed to get more in the next couple of days. I am getting REALLY sick of all the snow. And usually, I love the snow. Just not in March! I am so looking forward to spring! Will it ever come!?!?!
Not much new here. Just working away on report after report. It’s getting really old. But, next week, I should be done all the ones that are due March 31st, so then I get to switch gears for awhile and do some modeling work. I am really looking forward to doing something different!
Tonight is my WW meeting. I am actually really looking forward to it since I think I should have a good weigh-in. I had little gains the last 2 weeks, so I am hoping to be back to where I was 3 weeks ago, which was down 5 pounds. We’ll see. But, this will have been my 7th week in a row where I did not go over on my points, so I consider that a huge success regardless of what the scale says. I don’t want to concentrate on the numbers too much. I want to more focus on how I feel and that my clothes are fitting better.
Last week at the meeting, they handed out several 5 pound stars. One was to a woman who had only been on the program for 1 week. Another woman was on the program for 6 weeks before she got her 5 pound star. I found the 6-week woman MUCH more inspiring. I really needed to hear that. I’m not alone. Other people are finding it taking FOREVER to get anywhere. When I signed up, I bought 16 weeks right away, so I committed to keep at this for 16 weeks and see where I am then, which will be the beginning of May. I think if I hadn’t bought 16 weeks right away, I likely would have given up after last week since it was the second week in a row with a gain and I felt like I totally didn’t deserve it. Mom gained last week too. So, we were both feeling discouraged, but we told ourselves that we just aren’t going to give up. Here’s hoping we both see losses tonight!
Not much new here. Just working away on report after report. It’s getting really old. But, next week, I should be done all the ones that are due March 31st, so then I get to switch gears for awhile and do some modeling work. I am really looking forward to doing something different!
Tonight is my WW meeting. I am actually really looking forward to it since I think I should have a good weigh-in. I had little gains the last 2 weeks, so I am hoping to be back to where I was 3 weeks ago, which was down 5 pounds. We’ll see. But, this will have been my 7th week in a row where I did not go over on my points, so I consider that a huge success regardless of what the scale says. I don’t want to concentrate on the numbers too much. I want to more focus on how I feel and that my clothes are fitting better.
Last week at the meeting, they handed out several 5 pound stars. One was to a woman who had only been on the program for 1 week. Another woman was on the program for 6 weeks before she got her 5 pound star. I found the 6-week woman MUCH more inspiring. I really needed to hear that. I’m not alone. Other people are finding it taking FOREVER to get anywhere. When I signed up, I bought 16 weeks right away, so I committed to keep at this for 16 weeks and see where I am then, which will be the beginning of May. I think if I hadn’t bought 16 weeks right away, I likely would have given up after last week since it was the second week in a row with a gain and I felt like I totally didn’t deserve it. Mom gained last week too. So, we were both feeling discouraged, but we told ourselves that we just aren’t going to give up. Here’s hoping we both see losses tonight!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Happy Birthday Smokey
Today is Smokey’s 2nd birthday. I feel really lucky to have him since we almost lost him last March. But, he’s gone almost a year without a relapse, so that’s good news! I guess the special food must be doing its job!
What a weekend! We were planning on going out on Saturday night for our 6-month anniversary, but the weather was just too awful, even to walk. None of the sidewalks were plowed and the snow was about knee-deep, so it would have taken us forever to get downtown, so we just decided to stay cozy and warm inside. So we played PS2 together instead ;)
Yesterday, CT spent 2 hours shoveling just so we could get Zeke out of the driveway (I helped as much as I could with my finger). CT still has to dig his car out this morning, his car was absolutely buried! The only part of his car that was visible was the roof; the rest was completely buried. It was nuts! I have never seen anything like it!
I did use the time at home to get back into using my treadmill, I used it twice this weekend and am really proud of myself for that.
So now it’s back to work. On Friday, I got 5 reports out in draft, so that felt really good. I have another 3 to try to get out this week, so it’s going to be a busy week! So far, I haven’t had to work much overtime, but this week may be different! We’ll see how it goes.
What a weekend! We were planning on going out on Saturday night for our 6-month anniversary, but the weather was just too awful, even to walk. None of the sidewalks were plowed and the snow was about knee-deep, so it would have taken us forever to get downtown, so we just decided to stay cozy and warm inside. So we played PS2 together instead ;)
Yesterday, CT spent 2 hours shoveling just so we could get Zeke out of the driveway (I helped as much as I could with my finger). CT still has to dig his car out this morning, his car was absolutely buried! The only part of his car that was visible was the roof; the rest was completely buried. It was nuts! I have never seen anything like it!
I did use the time at home to get back into using my treadmill, I used it twice this weekend and am really proud of myself for that.
So now it’s back to work. On Friday, I got 5 reports out in draft, so that felt really good. I have another 3 to try to get out this week, so it’s going to be a busy week! So far, I haven’t had to work much overtime, but this week may be different! We’ll see how it goes.
Friday, March 07, 2008
This is a big step
Tonight, I take my last birth control pill. I am both excited and nervous at the same time. I just decided that I was sick of putting hormones into my body, and I really wanted to see if going off the pill would also help me in my weight loss journey. So, I made sure to stop at the end of a pack, so tonight will be my last pill. After being on the pill for almost exactly 6 years, that’s enough! I don’t know for sure if being on the pill is why I’m struggling to lose weight, but there’s no way to find out unless I try this! I am also quite nervous about how my periods will be since they were so awful before the pill, but I’m hoping I’ve ‘out-grown’ the crazy heavy flow and mind-numbing cramps.
Also, CT and I want to start trying for a baby at some point in the near future, so I wanted to give my body break from the pill for awhile first. So, this serves a double-purpose ;)
Tomorrow, is CT and my 6-month anniversary. Since it sounds like we are in for quite the snowstorm tomorrow, we may just spend the day relaxing at home and then we’ll walk downtown and go for dinner and see a movie as our date to celebrate. CT has really been wanting to see “Vantage Point” and I would like to see it as well. And we are only a 15-20 minute walk from the movie theatre, so that sounds like a perfect date to me that can’t get screwed up by the storm!
Also, my reference for my PEO application got his 2nd questionnaire this week (since the first one he sent never made it to PEO… stupid Canada Post!). So, he filled it out yesterday and both faxed and mailed it back to make sure they get it this time. The envelope even is already postage paid and has the address pre-printed, so I have no idea how Canada Post lost that one! Anyways, I have no idea how long it will take them to process my application from this point, but I’m thinking I could maybe hear the week after next! Or at least by the end of the month hopefully!
Also, CT and I want to start trying for a baby at some point in the near future, so I wanted to give my body break from the pill for awhile first. So, this serves a double-purpose ;)
Tomorrow, is CT and my 6-month anniversary. Since it sounds like we are in for quite the snowstorm tomorrow, we may just spend the day relaxing at home and then we’ll walk downtown and go for dinner and see a movie as our date to celebrate. CT has really been wanting to see “Vantage Point” and I would like to see it as well. And we are only a 15-20 minute walk from the movie theatre, so that sounds like a perfect date to me that can’t get screwed up by the storm!
Also, my reference for my PEO application got his 2nd questionnaire this week (since the first one he sent never made it to PEO… stupid Canada Post!). So, he filled it out yesterday and both faxed and mailed it back to make sure they get it this time. The envelope even is already postage paid and has the address pre-printed, so I have no idea how Canada Post lost that one! Anyways, I have no idea how long it will take them to process my application from this point, but I’m thinking I could maybe hear the week after next! Or at least by the end of the month hopefully!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Busy week ahead
This week, not only am I busy at work, but I am out 3 evenings this week. Tonight, I am going to get highlights and a haircut (which I am looking forward to – I haven’t had highlights since a week before the wedding). I’m not getting much cut off, just a trim. Tomorrow night, I have my weekly WW meeting with my mom. Then Thursday, we’re going to the Petes game (OHL) since my cousin Brett is doing the ceremonial face-off thing. He got an RBC scholarship and so he is being recognized. So, a bunch of us are going in support of him. And then we get to watch a Petes game too which should be fun!
I am not looking forward to the impending snow storm. I really wish spring would come already! Although, spring means rain and right now we seem to have a water runoff problem where whenever it rains, we get water coming under the door into the basement. We definitely need to fix that somehow before spring! Our dehumidifier has been doing a good job and soaking up the water when it does come in, but we need a permanent fix. Gotta love old houses, the work never ends!
Tomorrow, I am tuning into a webinar for the morning, so I am looking forward to the break from writing reports!
I am not looking forward to the impending snow storm. I really wish spring would come already! Although, spring means rain and right now we seem to have a water runoff problem where whenever it rains, we get water coming under the door into the basement. We definitely need to fix that somehow before spring! Our dehumidifier has been doing a good job and soaking up the water when it does come in, but we need a permanent fix. Gotta love old houses, the work never ends!
Tomorrow, I am tuning into a webinar for the morning, so I am looking forward to the break from writing reports!
Monday, March 03, 2008
I fell in love
CT and I were doing a bunch of errands on the weekend and suggested that we pop into the local pet store “just to look around”. Big mistake. We have been thinking about getting an aquarium, so I think that’s why he suggested it. Turns out they had some pretty good deals in aquariums, some were almost half price. Of course we can’t afford it right now since we’re still paying off our bathroom reno.
Anyways, while we were there, I totally fell in love with a puppy. A Chihuahua puppy. This is not normally a type of dog I would even consider, but as soon as I saw him, we had a connection. I fell in love with that little pup. I couldn’t get him out of my mind. We’re not looking at getting a dog right now, especially not a $900 Chihuahua; we would want a more ‘family’ dog. So, I had to keep telling myself that we couldn’t get the puppy, no matter how cute he is. We are thinking of getting a dog somewhere down the line, but that won’t be likely until after we have kids and have a house with a fenced in yard. And when we do get a dog, it won’t be from a pet store! I just hope somebody loving and caring buys that puppy and gives him a wonderful home.
Anyways, while we were there, I totally fell in love with a puppy. A Chihuahua puppy. This is not normally a type of dog I would even consider, but as soon as I saw him, we had a connection. I fell in love with that little pup. I couldn’t get him out of my mind. We’re not looking at getting a dog right now, especially not a $900 Chihuahua; we would want a more ‘family’ dog. So, I had to keep telling myself that we couldn’t get the puppy, no matter how cute he is. We are thinking of getting a dog somewhere down the line, but that won’t be likely until after we have kids and have a house with a fenced in yard. And when we do get a dog, it won’t be from a pet store! I just hope somebody loving and caring buys that puppy and gives him a wonderful home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)